Braves, not Phillies, may be the best team in N.L. East
Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones and Frank Wren may be looking at division title this year.
When they were hanging banners for 14 straight seasons, the Braves had more than merely great parts. A team that wins so often and for so long develops a confidence and a belief that can’t be taught, it has to be experienced.
“You want to get back to that point where you walk onto the field every day and you just expect to win,” Chipper Jones said Tuesday. “That was something we had back in the 1990s and early 2000s. That mentality of, no matter what happens, things will fall right.”
The Braves may be at that point again.
Two years ago, they were hovering barely above .500 in early September. Then they rose, as Don King once put it, “from the media pallet of death.” They went 15-2 and pulled to within two games of the wild card lead, only to eventually start dropping parts on the highway. Last year, we watched a perfect blend of imperfect players get back to the postseason despite a blur of injuries and lineups. The last spasm in game No. 162 got the Braves in. They eventually lost to San Francisco, the team that would win the World Series.
They are better now. More importantly, the majority players on this roster can draw on success that their predecessors from the previous few years couldn’t.
Yes, on paper, Philadelphia has one of the greatest starting pitching rotations ever assembled.
But on the field, the Braves project like National League East Division champions.
“We’ve got to play the games – we’ve got to play 162 games,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said when asked how he felt about the fact most are picking the Phillies to win the East. “They have a great pitching staff. But we feel pretty good about ours, too. So in September, let’s see where we’re at.”
The Braves’ last division title came in 2005. It was the last time they hung a banner in Turner Field until team officials decided to commemorate last year’s wild card team with a flag on banner row — only the sixth of 17 wild card participants to do so.
“Making the playoffs is special and it should be recognized,” general manager Frank Wren said.
This team could be more special. Adding Dan Uggla gives the lineup the potent right-handed bat it needed. Jason Heyward is no longer a prospect — he’s a given. Martin Prado is as good an all-around player as there is in baseball. Nate McLouth looks better. Chipper Jones made it through spring without a limp.
The starting rotation isn’t Philly’s but it is top 10 — at least. Closer Billy Wagner is gone. But Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters might be good enough to fill the void.
Think I’m drunk on the Kool-Aid? Maybe. But a lesser team won 91 games last season with a lineup that on some nights looked like that old stuffed bear you kept as a kid, despite the missing arm and the partially detached head.
About the Phillies: They’re good. They’ve won the division four of the last five years. They have a ridiculous top four in the rotation: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt. (Joe Blanton is Gummo Marx in this exercise.)
But Philadelphia has significant issues:
♦ Chase Utley has been “their heart and soul for the last several years,” Wren said. But he has patellar tendinitis, bone inflammation and something called chondromalacia. That’s Latin for: “My knee hurts.” Utley has risked public humiliation by sitting on a stool while fielding ground balls. His goal is to be back for the All-Star break. Not his projection – his goal. Doctors don’t even believe surgery would help. They’re basically declaring his right knee terminal.
♦ Closer Brad Lidge may not pitch this year. He is one hiccup away from mutating into Mike Hampton. He has had elbow problems, knee problems, biceps problems. Now his shoulder hurts. His tombstone will read: “Doctor, it hurts when I go like this.”
♦ Jayson Werth is gone. He signed a ridiculous $126 million contract in Washington, but that doesn’t diminish what he meant to the Phillies. He brought needed right-handed power.
Philly is more than beatable.
Jones again: “They’ve earned that moniker as the team to beat. But as long as we’re in the mix and people are talking about us, it’s good.”
It will be very good.
By Jeff Schultz
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295 comments Add your comment
Coach13
March 30th, 2011
11:22 am
The Phillies have the staff but will they have the run support?? Howard and Victorino are the only real threats in the lineup. Rollins and Utley aren’t what they once were.
Outside of the Phillies name another starting rotation better than the Braves in all of MLB. Name a better bullpen than the Braves. 1-9 their lineup is a pretty good one too. The Phillies are the pretty pick but don’t be surprised if they don’t even make the postseason.
All teams are 1 or 2 injuries away though.
Robert
March 30th, 2011
11:26 am
“You want to get back to that point where you walk onto the field every day and you just expect to win,” Chipper Jones said Tuesday
Expecting to win just by walking onto the field is how they got complacent and sloppy
MColquette
March 30th, 2011
11:27 am
I think it’s pretty obvious that the Phil’s have one of the most daunting staff’s we’ve seen in quite a while. The biggest difference I see is the other 8 players.
1B: Howard vs. Freeman = Phil’s
2B: Utley/Backup vs. Uggla = Bravos
SS: Rollins vs. Gonzo = Push
3B: Polanco vs. Jones = Bravos (Healthy Chipper)
LF: Ibanez vs. Prado = Bravos
CF: Victorino vs. McClouth = Phil’s (could be push if he wakes up)
RF: Brown vs. Heyward = Bravos
C: Ruiz vs. McCann = Bravos
5 out of 8 positions the Braves are better…. Going to be a fun season!
Bob Davis
March 30th, 2011
11:55 am
Does anyone know if the games carried on Peachtree TV this season will be shown on SportSouth or Fox SportSouth? I heard they were bought-out by Fox (formerly owned by Turner Sports).
john
March 30th, 2011
11:56 am
- Braves do not score runs against better Pitchers – get some on but cannot advance
- Braves have to beat up on every average/Loser Pitcher just to keep close to Phils and other good Teams…….
Buffy
March 30th, 2011
12:24 pm
Chipper will be whining about some injury within the month of May….watch. Cannot think of a “marquis” player that has been more injury prone. Freddie is still unproven. Uggla may go down as another Teixeira, Heyward did have a major cold run last season. I am a die hard Braves fan, since 1969, but I would say this prediction is immature, premature, and just a headline to sell papers. Cannot diregard the tried and true combination of the strongest pitching rotation in baseball in the Phillies. I hope I am wrong, but I hope Schultzie remembers this article when its 100 degrees at the Ted and we are getting swept by the Phils!
Buffy
March 30th, 2011
12:26 pm
PS: Bob Davis makes a good point. The biggest problem with the Braves is figuring out what channel the game is on any given night. Its like a rubiks cube for cryin out loud.
Blackberry Cobbler
March 30th, 2011
12:27 pm
Yes, the Phils have their problems.
But any team that has to depend on McOUT, a healthy Chipper, and D-Lowe in the rotation to make the post-season is in just as bad a shape IMHO.
I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid just yet.
Buffy
March 30th, 2011
12:30 pm
MColquette – baseball is not a wrestling match. What is your relative point?
Blackberry Cobbler
March 30th, 2011
12:35 pm
“PS: Bob Davis makes a good point. The biggest problem with the Braves is figuring out what channel the game is on any given night. Its like a rubiks cube for cryin out loud.”
Come on, man! Just go to the AJC or Braves website and the broadcast channel and time is shown for every single game!
Get a grip. It can’t be any more simple than that.
Skeezix
March 30th, 2011
12:37 pm
Jeff: I am glad to see that at least one ajc sportswriter agrees with me—the Braves are overall the best team in the NL East. This is a better team than last year’s team. Take away the crippling injuries as we neared the end of last year and the Braves very well may have been in the World Series. The Phils are still very good and have the best rotation, but offensively we are stronger and I really like our closers (but of course I wish we still had Wagner). The Braves now have to stay healthy and go out and perform; if they do, I believe in the end, the Bravos will be on top of the East.
Richard Dawson
March 30th, 2011
12:39 pm
Chipper to fans: “Kiss my a**”.
Fire this classless redneck thug and maybe we have a chance.
Richard Dawson
March 30th, 2011
12:41 pm
MColquette, typical homer analysis. Rollins is 2x or 3x the SS Gonzalez is, and Polanco is better than Chipper/backup at 3B. Utley/backup at 2B is at least the equal of Uggla. Ibanez beats Prado in LF too.
Richard Dawson
March 30th, 2011
12:42 pm
“Jason Heyward is no longer a prospect — he is a given.”
Oh, like Francoeur was a given after his rookie season?
That was an incredibly shallow, short-sighted, homeristic statement. Very typical of this sports section though.
Richard Dawson
March 30th, 2011
12:45 pm
Buffy — well said. You sell “papers”, or web hits, by pumping the local teams as much as possible early on, then dumping on them when they lose and the fans are down on them. Gotta to move with the fan sentiment. There is no original thinking going on here. It’s the same every year.
papadawg
March 30th, 2011
12:50 pm
Hmmmm, a good crop of pot just arrived, huh
idot
March 30th, 2011
12:56 pm
A lot of negative imbeciles on this rag.
idot
March 30th, 2011
12:57 pm
It will come down to which team stays the healthiest.
Big Mike
March 30th, 2011
12:57 pm
Give ma a break Guys…The same people has been saying this yr after the yr….stop putting all this pressure on the team before the season start….Chipper want play that much and Jayson has to overcome that teams has learn how to pitch him…Let us fly under the radar …like the Giants.
PLEASE QUIT WE THE PREDICTION FOR A WHILE.
DawginLex
March 30th, 2011
12:58 pm
Hey Richard, aren’t you due back on the set of The Family Feud Reunion show?
You sure don’t know anything about baseball
idot
March 30th, 2011
12:58 pm
That’s already a couple of marks against the Phillies.
Buffy
March 30th, 2011
1:11 pm
Cobbler- Game channel is a moving target……bad marketing in the purest sense. The more you disect television coverage, the more you confuse your audience. Marketing 101. Pure branding science. You must have an art degree or enjoy the comics.
Skeezix- you must be smokin too much of papadawg’s shipment. Or not know baseball. Pitching and defense win out over run scoring in every analysis since infield dirt was invented.
Mr. Richard Dawson- have not heard from you since Match Game 76! Thanks for the props. And as far as Chipper The Cockypop, we should trade him for his market value and get a durable 3rd baseman that can hit and won’t go down with a hangnail or period cramps every other week.
Richard Dawson
March 30th, 2011
1:17 pm
Will somebody PLEASE pay attention to me?
Big Mike
March 30th, 2011
1:19 pm
Mcolquette …Dude get real…La had a better batting avg and era…..you can’t say that…let the
cards fall where they may..
Keith
March 30th, 2011
1:27 pm
Hey Jeff ya coming to SEA when the Braves come up? if ya do look for me I would love to meet ya!
Buffy
March 30th, 2011
1:27 pm
Cobbler….a moving target on TV coverage is Branding 101. Never do anything to confuse the audience. Ever heard of same bat time, same bat channel??
Skeezix……smokin too much of papadawg’s new shipment? Pitching and defense win in every analysis since infield dirt was invented.
Mr. Dawson- thanks for the props. Schultzie is just trying to raise our irish. And Chipper will certainly go down with a hang nail or period cramps within a month. Trade him while he’s worth something. His cocky attitude makes me want to puke.
Buffy
March 30th, 2011
1:30 pm
Testing 123
Ed
March 30th, 2011
1:45 pm
What a joke. The Braves have question marks at 3B, CF, SS, 1B, closer, the back end of the rotation and the bench. Except they don’t have an elite rotation to compensate. They are not only overrated, but will backslide to .500.
phil
March 30th, 2011
2:43 pm
Hurtward is a given….to be injured and to strike out…a lot….until he proves otherwise, that’s my tale and I’m staying with it….
McOut? won’t hit .250…
McFann? Lucky if he reaches 20 dingers…emotionally fragile after maiming Salazar….hasn’t hit a lick since….
that guy at short? way past his prime…
Freeman? has proven zero…
Ugly? lots of long fly ball outs and ks….
i’m starting to scare myself with this….we’re awful…
Foghorn Leghorn
March 30th, 2011
5:18 pm
idot….your 9:05am post shows how dumb you are. The Dipper is a career .306 hitter (which means that, for him, hitting .306 ISNT a hot streak). It’s his AVERAGE.
So for Schultz to consider that The Dipper hitting .300 over a 20 game stretch is a “hot streak”……just shows how far The Dipper has fallen.
In other words, for those of you who are too simple minded to understand…over the course of his career, The Dipper has averaged .306 over 2,261 games in his career. How can batting .300 over a 20 game stretch be considered a “hot streak”?
Sure, for “average” players…hitting .300 over 20 games is considered good. However, when we are paying $14 mil a year to our #3 hitter…..then hitting .300 with little power is not what I would consider to be “hot” (especially when after the “hot streak”, The Dipper was only batting .265 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 95 games).
If Jeff Schultz feels that The Dipper he knows considers those numbers to be “hot”…..then The Dipper has fallen big time (which is what I’ve known the past two years).
Foghorn Leghorn
March 30th, 2011
5:23 pm
Joycee Banicheck,…….I feel that the majority of so-called Braves fans are really crotch sniffing, jock inhaling, fluffer wanna be fans of The Dipper….who place loyalty over their worshippness of The Dipper…over the ability of the Braves to field a line-up that gives the Braves TEAM the best chance to win.
I will stay here and keep advocating for my Braves to WIN. If The Dipper wasnt an injury prone, shell of his former self (otherwise formerly known as Chipper Jones)…….then I would have no problem with him batting 3rd.
However, to keep Jason Heyward in the #6 spot of the order…..so The Dipper can get welfare at-bats based on his back in the past glory……..shows that you guys arent 100% into seeing the Braves win.
Foghorn Leghorn
March 30th, 2011
5:31 pm
The sports reporting that goes on in Atlanta, would never fly in a real sports town like New York, Chicago or Boston. The next tough question that anyone in the Atlanta Press asks an Atlanta player of management…..will be the first in their history.
These reporters would make fluffers in the adult film industry look like amateurs, with how “hard” they work to “please” the likes of The Dipper and Booby Cox during interviews.
Jeff Schultz
March 30th, 2011
6:24 pm
Foghorn Leghorn — “The sports reporting that goes on in Atlanta, would never fly in a real sports town like New York, Chicago or Boston.” … Clearly you don’t know anything about me or my career. You’re just pouting because I’ve taken positions different from you regarding Chipper Jones and Bobby Cox. But I’ll stop because there’s an old saying I’m fond of: “Never try to match wits with an unarmed man.”
idot
March 30th, 2011
6:34 pm
Foghorn Leghorn@5:18………..Another stupid comment from you. Hitting .300, hitting HRs and producing RBIs is a hot streak.
idot
March 30th, 2011
6:36 pm
Now, I have nothing further to say to you. Arguing with an imbecile is futile.
Foghorn Leghorn
March 30th, 2011
7:20 pm
idot…….if you hit .300 with with a few homers and RBIs during a 20 game streak….yet overall have an average of .265 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 95 total games…..then it stands to reason that the other 70 games The Dipper played in pretty much SUCKKED!
Jeff Schultz……My problem with you isnt that you “disagreed” with me. It’s the fact that you havent been the least bit objective when it comes to questioning the wisdom of having a 39 year old coming off two injury filled, unproductive seasons…..hitting 3rd in the line-up.
Isnt your job as a journalist to question the manager (Fredo) into justifying that decision? Or question the player (The Dipper) on why he should bat 3rd given the past 2 seasons?
Instead, you are no different than your comrade David O’Brainless One when it comes to writing one fluff piece after another on The Dipper.
Jeff Schultz
March 30th, 2011
7:28 pm
Foghorn Leghorn — Do your homework about what I’ve asked and what I’ve written. Then get back to me.
Foghorn Leghorn
March 30th, 2011
7:32 pm
Jeff Schultz……….How about you (or anyone on this blog who claims to know anything about baseball)….show me who, in the HISTORY OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL….has ever come back from 2 injury filled, unproductive seasons at the ages of 37 and 38 years old…..to have the kind of season at 39 years old that many of you EXPECT and HOPE that The Dipper will have in 2011.
Just one? That’s all I’m asking for. Show me that I dont know what I’m talking about. Show me that what you guys are basing your expectations and hopes on has precedent…..show me that I’m blind when it comes to this “precedent”.
Ok? If I really “dont know what I’m talking about”…if I indeed have some sort of “grudge or hatred” towards The Dipper that defies “logic”…then you guys should have no problem with refuting me and showing me that what you are expecting and hoping for…..isnt out of the “ordinary”.
Foghorn Leghorn
March 30th, 2011
8:25 pm
Enter your comments here
Foghorn Leghorn
March 30th, 2011
11:17 pm
Looks like when you challenge those to prove their point…they get all quiet and disappear.
joey
March 31st, 2011
1:11 am
You were probably saying the same thing last year when the Braves had a 7 game lead. You just glossed over the Braves issues.
Potential for bad defense with Chipper, Uggla and McClouth. Potential for late season fatigue from Kimbrel & Venters. Who knows how Kimbrel will even handle the pressure of closing.
Beachy is a rookie who knows he will perform and even if he does good early he probably hit the wall in August unlike the Phillies staff that just gets stronger as the season goes on. Oswalt is 68-17 in his career after July 1st.
Will an aging Lowe duplicate his success from last season or regress? Will Chipper stay healthy? Will Freeman struggle as a rookie?
Coach13
March 31st, 2011
11:44 am
Some people in here just don’t know baseball.
The headline says “May be the best” not “will be, mark it down, for sure, etc.” The potential for the Braves to be the best in the East is certainly there.
Comparing Hewyard and Frenchy is apples and oranges. Heyward is 5 tool player that has shown discipline at the plate (take a walk) and actually has what you would call a “swing”.
McClouth has been a serviceable OF during the majority of his career. The same people that don’t want to be excited about Heyward for having 1 good year want to hang “McOut” for having one bad year.
Chipper is most likely not a 3 hole hitter anymore but who else would you put there?
The pitching staff if healthy can hang with anyone in Major League Baseball and is handled by a perennial ALl- Star behind the plate.
Some of you need to look around and realize that the Braves match up with anyone in the National League top to bottom
Coach13
March 31st, 2011
11:50 am
Let’s not forget that Freeman has been pretty successful at every level of the minors and by all means has earned a shot at being the everyday 1b. Gonzo is an adequate player with power and I think most teams would take a 7 hole hitter hitting 20-25 HR.
This team did just fine last year and needed 1 more bat in the lineup and they addressed that need.
This isn’t Xbox baseball people. They can’t go get whoever they want at every position and build a dream team.
braves fans are fake
March 31st, 2011
10:16 pm
since all of the braves season ticket holders posted on this blog i’d thought i’d share my thoughts. there is a 0% chance the braves win the division or win 95 games. the phillies lineup is better than the braves lineup even if the phillies don’t have howard, utley, and rollins as last year they proved it. the phillies get injured they run away with the division. the braves get injured and can’t score 1 run.
Phillies, Class of the NL
April 3rd, 2011
3:06 pm
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!